▲ Seoul Autonomous Bus
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is pushing to introduce 500 autonomous city buses by 2030.
Following technology development and demonstration between 2027 and 2028, the city aims to begin full-scale deployment starting in 2029 to build an autonomous public transportation system that citizens can use in their daily lives.
Seoul announced today (October 1) that it signed a business agreement at City Hall with Hyundai Motor and the Seoul Bus Transportation Association for the commercialization of Level 4 autonomous city buses and the establishment of an industrial ecosystem.
Attendees at the signing ceremony included Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Hyundai Motor President and head of the AVP Division Park Min-woo, and Seoul Bus Transportation Association Chairman Kim Jung-hwan.
The agreement is valid for three years from the date of signing.
Seoul has previously tested autonomous driving technology on actual roads by operating "dawn companion autonomous buses" and autonomous taxis.
This time, the focus moves beyond demonstrations on limited routes to integrating autonomous buses into the regular city bus operation system.
First, between 2027 and 2028, the city will develop autonomous-dedicated buses and related technologies, share artificial intelligence (AI) learning data, and conduct service demonstrations for citizens.
It will also complete necessary procedures for commercialization, such as autonomous vehicle performance certification.
Starting in 2029, the city will fully establish the introduction and operation system for autonomous city buses, aiming to introduce a total of 500 units by 2030 in connection with the replacement of aging buses.
The plan is to expand the scope of application while verifying vehicle performance and operational safety at each stage.
To this end, Seoul will review and establish policies for the demonstration and regular operation of autonomous city buses.
Hyundai Motor will support the development, manufacturing, supply, and maintenance of 11-meter dedicated buses suitable for autonomous driving technology.
The company plans to design vehicles so that steering, braking, door opening and closing, and air conditioning can be controlled via electronic signals, while also equipping them with safety features such as redundant core components and cybersecurity.
In addition, Hyundai will cooperate on developing control platforms and applying vehicle technology for autonomous driving developers, while opening data related to the standardization and manufacturing guidelines of dedicated vehicles so that various companies can develop and verify technologies based on them.
The Seoul Bus Transportation Association will support member companies in transitioning their existing regular city buses to autonomous city buses.
It will cooperate in securing personnel and infrastructure necessary for operation, such as test drivers, control personnel, bus depots, and charging facilities, and participate in establishing control and operation plans for autonomous city buses.
The three organizations decided to jointly establish a control and operation system capable of monitoring and managing the operating status of multiple vehicles.
They also plan to standardize the configuration and installation criteria for lidars and image sensors mounted on vehicles, accumulate data on exceptional situations encountered during driving and actual operations, and establish measures within the legal scope to allow companies, research institutes, and universities to utilize standardized data for technology development and verification.
Seoul envisions creating an open industrial ecosystem involving vehicle manufacturers, autonomous driving technology companies, transport companies, and platform companies, and spreading the autonomous public transportation model verified in Seoul to other cities.
Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated, "Seoul, Hyundai Motor, and the bus industry will become one team to connect autonomous driving technology with city bus services used by citizens," adding, "Based on safe operation, we will gradually expand autonomous city buses to enhance citizens' travel convenience and make Seoul a leading city in autonomous public transportation."
Writing on Facebook on the same day, he emphasized, "We are now moving beyond demonstrations to prepare for full-scale commercialization," noting that "when vehicles change, roads change, parking lots change, and architecture and spatial structures change."
He also projected, "Being freed from driving will change how citizens use their time, and broaden the living radius of the elderly and disabled who have faced significant mobility constraints," and added, "New changes will come to the labor market, including the transportation industry, where existing jobs will transform while new industries and jobs emerge in vehicle management, AI, data, and mobility services."
Mayor Oh described the introduction of autonomous city buses as "a complete transformation of the urban paradigm."
He expressed his aspiration that "Seoul will go beyond being the first city to introduce technology, becoming the first city to prepare for the changes in urban life that technology will bring."
(Photo: Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yonhap News)
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